


After a Mickey

by Glimare



Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: F/M, No I'm not continuing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-09-15
Packaged: 2020-10-18 18:47:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20643941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Glimare/pseuds/Glimare
Summary: One-Shot: Kyoko wakes up in Ren's arms in his apartment and doesn't remember how she got there. Ren does, and he tells her the truth. Or at least as much as she's able to understand while horribly hungover against her will. Why did anyone slip her a mickey?Kinda cracky.





	After a Mickey

**Author's Note:**

> Originally on fanfiction.net with a few edits. Very few. I'm pretty sure I edited this one before only for Grammarly to find more problems. It's not as dirty as the summary implies, but I wanted to get a broader audience. =P enjoy!

Kyoko wasn't sure if she wanted to wake up. She was warm and comfortable, more than she had been in a long time. A nice smell filled her nostrils and there was this soothing, rhythmic sound filling her ears. She could almost feel it too.

Problem was, her stomach was starting to revolt and she really needed to use the toilet. She felt like the only thing keeping her head from swimming was the vibrations she was feeling from who knew where.

Slowly she opened her eyes, her physical senses returning to her slowly as she did do. She was sitting nearly upright as she slept, leaning against something warm and strong. The scent was familiar and there was something heavier draped around her back and landing near her stomach, keeping her in her seat. A throw blanket kept her legs and arms warm, but whatever she was leaning against had its own warmth she couldn't name. The room was dark thankfully, with sunlight barely teasing through the curtains somewhere in the room. It helped her head as she took in the sight to identify where she was. Everything looked so familiar...

After an agonizing minute of blurry images and trying to realize what was going on, she stiffened. Oh yes. She knew exactly where she was, and it wasn't home. Her eyes grew wide and aware, pieces coming together. She looked around a little to find a clock, surprised she slept in until nine in the morning, there of all places. A second later she looked down to the weight holding her slightly dizzy self in place.

It was an arm. Not just any arm. A fine blue silk sleeve covered a grown man's arm, loosened for comfort but draped around her like a lov- She cast the thought aside as she slowly turned to see who it belonged to. Dread and panic started to bubble inside of her as she caught view of the rest of the shirt. She saw it last night, nicely pressed then but now wrinkled and a little loose. Cufflinks and a tie were tossed onto a nearby table, showing a messy side to him she never saw before. As she continued to follow the trail upwards to a face, there was no doubt what happened in her mind.

A barely waking Tsuruga Ren met her gaze steadily and slightly bored. "Please don't yell Mogami-san. And try not to move too-"

Kyoko's immediate reaction to flee took over, throwing herself to the other side of the couch before he could finish his statement, an alarmed yell pulled from her throat. As soon as she did it, she regretted it. Her head swam and her stomach acids were begging to come out the wrong way. A hand covered her mouth as she leaned weakly over the edge of the couch, her head pounding like a drum.

Still she heard her sempai's sigh as he continued talking, a bit disappointed but still expecting this outcome. "Quickly. You're still suffering from the effects of the drug. Please aim for the trash can. Vomit is hard to get out of upholstery."

'_Drug?_' Though the question lingered, she spotted the can and pulled it to her on her end of the couch. After retching into it for a minute or more, she wiped her mouth with her wrist, expecting to feel skin on skin. Instead, she felt a very fine quality cloth against her mouth. Looking down a little, she realized she was wearing the large white coat Tsuruga wore at that party... last night? Boy did her head hurt. Why was she wearing his coat?

"Ugh..."

Though full of questions and confusion, Kyoko said nothing for a minute or two, letting her head pound and her stomach settle (hopefully). Silence encompassed the room as she tried to recover, so much she almost forgot the other presence in the room. The man she secretly loved just watched her somewhat pityingly from his seat, making no move to help her or intimidate her. He just watched in silence.

After a few more rounds of being sick, and feeling like death, Kyoko slowly looked over to her sempai. "What in seven hells is going on?"

Staying where he was, Tsuruga watched her for a moment more, analyzing her. Slowly he shrugged. "It's called a hangover. Yours is special due to circumstances outside your control, but thankfully we caught you in time to avoid dire consequences. How much do you remember about last night?"

Glaring at him and his composure, the miserable woman started talking. Even her voice was giving her a headache. "We were at the Tokyo Ritz, attending the closing ceremonies for the television awards. I came with Moko-chan and Chiori-san... The after party was schedule to go until two the following morning... You came late..."

"I had a promise to keep," the man stated evenly, dodging his reasons for not being there terribly long. Rumor had it he hated attending celebrity parties in general and only made token appearances. So far he stayed through the parties she attended, but she hadn't been in the business very long. "Proceed."

Thinking hard, Kyoko pieced together what she could. "Everyone was chatting and then..." She winced, trying to remember but not being able to. "I... can't really remember. Oh my head hurts..."

Clutching her head, she didn't see the concern on Ren's face or him getting off the couch, headed towards the kitchen. "I'll make some toast and get you some aspirin. That should help. Stay here."

She tried to nod, but it hurt too much. Why did her head hurt so much? She only took one glass of champagne. She wasn't even sure it was champagne. It tasted really weird...

A few minutes later, two slices of plain toast, a glass of water, and two white pills were set on the table in front of her. Tsuruga sat on the edge of the chair near her seat, watching and waiting for her to respond to him. Slowly she grabbed a slice of toast and nibbled on it. The actress didn't have much of an appetite at that moment. "What happened?"

Tsuruga was silent for a moment more before recounting what occurred outside her memory. "One of your drinks had a drug in it, designed to make you more susceptible to the advances of men. Judging by how you were talking, I would say GHB, as it makes some people giddy and hallucinate. Not all people respond the same way.

"Either way, you were laughing loudly and sharing embarrassing stories with strangers." Kyoko's face turned pale, red, and every color in between as it went back and forth betwixt them. Oh no... A small smirk appeared on the man's face. "Mostly about a Shoutaro. Fuwa I assume?"

"Um..." Now it stayed at red, thoroughly embarrassed. She looked down in shame, her eyes in the can and then towards her chest. She blinked in disbelief, taken out of her thoughts on disgrace. Tsuruga's coat was buttoned as high as it possibly could, tied tightly around her waist, but she could still see what it was trying so much to cover. "Eh?"

"Well the secret is out among the acting community, and likely the gossip columns," the man sighed, though amused. "They now know he wet the bed at 13, hates sweet omelets, and actually loves variety shows. They also know very well that-"

"REH?!" Kyoko barely heard what he said as things clicked in her head about her apparel. The trash can she was holding fell to the floor along with her toast as her hands went flying to the neck of the coat and closed it firmly shut at her neck. '_My shirt! My shirt!_'

Tsuruga jerked back a bit, startled, then held back a groan. "You realized that now?"

"W... Where... Where is..." Beet red, she shook almost horrified at the notion that underneath the coat all she had on was her bra, skirt, and panties. She could feel those. But what happened to her shirt?! Her nylons?!

The man finally groaned, rubbing his head while suppressing a blush of his own. "You took it off at the party, saying you were too hot. I barely managed to get my coat around you before anyone else saw. You also stripped out of your nylons in the car. I only grabbed your shoes getting you up here. I have no idea where your shirt is. My focus was on getting you out of there before you were caught on camera. Yashiro and Kotonami-san stayed behind with security to find out who slipped you a mickey. They may have found your shirt too."

Still red, she just stared at him in silence. The only thing she could hear was the pounding in her head, and that didn't help her at all. "I..."

"Took it off yourself."

Embarrassment, shame, and horror overtook her countenance as she looked away and started mumbling prayers begging the gods to just end her life then and there. Mogami Kyoko was such a sinful human being...

She heard her host sigh heavily before attempting to bring her back to reality. "Relax. It was as we were going out the side exit. I'm the only one who saw anything and I got you covered up again within a minute." She peeked a dreaded glance over to him, seeing his resolved yet annoyed face. "And considering you've seen me naked several times, I only consider it fair play."

The redness of Kyoko's body wasn't just from embarrassment anymore. Anger was thrown in as well from the nonchalant way he was talking. He saw her topless and merely brushed it off! '_PLAYBOY!_' She sputtered at him, not sure what to say and too furious to make any direct comments.

Sighing once again at her reaction, Tsuruga shook his head and reached over to the table. He picked up a bundle of cloth and offered it to her. "Here. It's the smallest shirt I own."

She blinked at him, confused. His eyes were looking elsewhere for some reason but still held up the shirt for her. "I didn't think you'd want me to change what you were wearing while you were sleeping so I picked it out last night." He turned his head away entirely, blushing a bit. "Really Yashiro should have come by with an extra change of clothes for you by now. What's taking him?"

'_He's... actually embarrassed..._' The thought struck her a bit oddly, easing the anger in her heart at the idea. Maybe he did consider her as a woman after- Throwing the thought aside, she carefully reached forward and took the shirt. "Th... Thank you..."

"It's not a problem," he coolly stated. Tsuruga pushed himself to his feet once again, motioning to the mess now on the floor. "I'll find some things to clean that up. Tell me when you're decent."

"Eh?" Kyoko blinked at him cluelessly before an idea struck her. "Ah! No need for that! I can just use the restroom! I can-"

She leapt to her feet partway through her argument, ready to do exactly that even if he said no, and instantly regretted it. Her head swam, her stomach lurched, and the pounding in her head intensified. She almost keeled over but her sempai caught her quickly, worry and exasperation in his face. "Careful! You really shouldn’t move that much right now."

"Ss... Sorry..." Her face returned to red as she clung to him, his large hands supporting her shoulders and keeping her a safe distance away from his person. As much as she wanted to rest her head against his chest, all her other instincts against love and romance was grateful for the distance. She heard him sigh as he gently helped her sit down once again, her head down to save herself from further embarrassment. "So... So sorry Tsuruga-san..."

"It's alright. You don’t have to apologize all the time Mogami-san." He tilted her head up so he could look her in the eye, a small smile on his face to comfort her. How often did he do this in the past? "These things happen when we aren't looking."

He paused, almost as if he was staring straight through her to her soul. Kyoko almost thought he was, and it made her heart beat like crazy. This was not helping her head. He released his hold at last and stood straight. "We just need to be more careful in the future. Please change and have some toast. You need something in your stomach if you're going to recover."

"R... Right." She looked to the floor again, now clutching his shirt to her chest. Tsuruga sighed again and headed back towards the other rooms. "Sorry for being a bother..."

"You're hardly a bother Mogami-san." As much as Kyoko wanted to believe those words, she couldn't. This must be bothering him so much! How was she ever going to make up for this horrendous mistake? She truly was a pathetic human being.

True to his word, Tsuruga left the room, giving her privacy to change her top. Her head swam as she slid out of the massive coat and struggled to put on the shirt. It looked really old, something he couldn't have worn for at least five years if she knew right. Why did he still have this? Well for whatever reason he kept it, the black turtleneck was only two sizes too big instead of six, fitting well enough to cover her completely. It was a shame to leave the wonderful coat, but there was a slightly different fragrance coming from the shirt. It was so...

"Are you decent?"

"YES!" Turning bright red and stiff as a board, Kyoko stopped analyzing the shirt and remembered what she promised herself. No to romance! No to letting him know how she felt! Stop loving his clothes!

"Ah. Good." Tsuruga's footfalls came closer, mixing with her aching head as she kept her head down. She could see him moving from the corner of her eye, eventually kneeling nearby and cleaning up the mess she made with the trash can. "You really should eat something. You can't have any medicine for your headache until you do."

"How... how do you know I have a headache?" She heard him sigh at the question, somewhat reminding her that he was an adult. He knew all about liquor. "S-"

"When I was twelve, someone drugged me at a party."

The statement caught her off guard, calling forth Kyoko's gaze. Huh?

Perfectly composed as he finished wiping up the spill, he tossed the cloths he used into the can and set it aside. "I grew up in an adult world. My parents often took me to fancy parties like last night. I attracted the eye of a nasty man and he slipped a sedative into my soda. I was separated from my father that night so he didn't see me wandering off in a daze. That man somehow led me near the side exit, ready to take me somewhere far away. I was so out of it, I didn't stop him."

A smile crossed his face at a memory. "Then my dad tackled him to the door and made a real scene. I passed out seconds after that, so I don't remember a lot of what happened next. All I know is that the next morning I was in my parents' bathroom with a horrible headache and a very upset stomach. Dad stayed with me the entire day and for the next week I was either with him or at school. I think I scared him."

Despite the horrible beginning of the memory, Tsuruga was smiling fondly. Though it started badly, that must have been a wonderful part of his youth. He clearly loved his father. He smiled broadly at her. "Yeah, I sure do. He was always my hero."

Kyoko blinked, then blushed. She said that out loud? Oh, this headache was messing with everything she was doing.

"Seems so." Tsuruga's chipper smile only confirmed how much she was thinking out loud. "If you don't want me hearing your thoughts, you should try eating. Settle your stomach then take your medicine."

"Isn't that usually my line?" It really was a strange reversal of roles right then.

"Not today. Now eat your toast." When she didn’t move, he gave her a seductive smile. "Or would you prefer I fed it to you?"

Faster than he could blink, Kyoko took the second toast and started scarfing it down. "I'm fine! I'm fine!"

"I thought as much." The man's teasing smile finally appeared, telling her he was joking but the results were fine. He straightened to his full height then ran his hand over her hair tenderly. It calmed down her fears quickly, but she was still red and her heart kept beating too fast. Honestly, she loved every bit of contact he gave her. No one touched her as much as he did, and he was always kind. It was just one of the reasons she loved him.

"Don't eat too fast though," he warned her softly. "You may upset your stomach more." He took a step back and headed towards the kitchen once again. "Would you like some coffee after your medication?"

"Y...Yes please." He smiled gently at her stutter but didn't comment on it. He never did. A thought struck her, causing her to speak up. "Ah! Tsuruga-san! I have to know... Did I..."

"Hm?" Tsuruga turned to look at her again, curious.

"Did... Did I say anything... weird... last night?" Her cheeks were on fire as she asked this. Just what happened last night? She couldn't remember anything!

For a few seconds the man was frozen with a small smile on his face. It became his gentlemanly lying smile soon enough. "Not particularly!"

"You're lying. I know you are." Kyoko glared death at him, half of her toast starting to get crushed in her hand.

"Well..." He looked to the side awkwardly. "It wasn't particularly odd... at least to me. Everyone else was giving you weird looks."

"Huh?"

"If you weren't embarrassing Fuwa 'Shoutaro', you were talking about fairies." He cast her a slightly awkward smile. "And you kept calling me Corn the Fairy Prince. Do I really look that much like him?"

Briefly remembering her last meeting with Corn, how he looked, and especially that kiss, Kyoko turned the brightest shade of red possible, steam rolling out of her ears. Without warning, she fell to her knees and begged for forgiveness with everything she had. "I'M SO SORRY!!! I'M SORRY!! I'M SORRY!! I WASN'T THINKING!! I AM A SHAMELESS HUMAN BEING NOT WORTHY OF BEING YOUR KOHAI!! I'M SOORRRYYY!!!"

"Mogami-san it's alright." He couldn't help but to laugh for a second, but stopped when she stopped moving, becoming silent. Worry overtook him as he stared at her. "Mogami-!"

Faster than her begging, she grabbed the trashcan and started vomiting again. She agitated her stomach with her pleading, making her life a lot more miserable than it was when she learned she revealed her greatest obsession to the world. Tsuruga watched her helplessly for a minute before sighing once again. "I'll try to find crackers or something. I don't think the toast is helping."

* * *

Ren fetching food for his sick coworker was only an excuse, and he knew it. What Kyoko asked only stirred memories of the previous night back to the front of his mind. Did she say anything weird? Oh yes. Yes she did. And it had nothing to do with fairies, though she did talk about that at the party.

He smiled broadly as he recalled what happened in the car, a hand going to his chest. That night he arranged with Yashiro and the other Love Me girls for a car to take them all home early. He knew how bad these parties could get and what could happen. His near abduction his father prevented years ago only further jaded his view of LA's acting world. The lessons he learned there would never have to be learned the hard way by Kyoko or anyone else if he had anything to say about it.

When he spotted her acting like a fool, he immediately told Yashiro to have the car sent around to the side entrance with a doorman to assist if necessary. Kyoko's friends were trying to run interference between her and the rest of the world but were too inexperienced to handle her and the crowd. He literally swept in and snatched the fluttering princess from the crowd with the grace of a fairy prince (the press was going to enjoy that new nickname). Getting her out of there was relatively easy after that. When her shirt came off, he only had a few seconds to act and almost mummified her with his coat. When they were in the car at last, he was able to make it presentable.

"Really Mogami-san. You need to be careful about what you drink and who gives it to you." Knotting the coat around her waist took more concentration than he liked. If only his jacket closed completely at the top instead of coming together near his sternum. Even with the lapels turned inward, he could still see much of her cleavage. "You'll only embarrass L-!"

"KYO-KO!" A finger pressed against his lips as she spoke, calling all his attention to her drunk-like face. "KYO-KO!"

"What?" What was she doing? Her eyes had narrowed almost into Setsu's character, seductive and low effort. His already speeding heart started doing backflips at that look.

"My name. It's KYO-KO! Say it!"

Stunned, Ren couldn't help but comply. "K...Kyoko..."

"Ha!" She sweetly praised him, tapping his nose playfully. "I knew you could say it! Well done!"

"Thank you." Oh she was a very strange drunk indeed. As she got older, he'd have to keep a close eye on her at parties so she didn't do something she'd regret. "Now Mo-"

"KYOKO!!" Her sudden angry shout pulled him back in his seat, no doubt confusing the driver to no end. And there the divider went up. Thank god. "Say it!"

"Okay... Kyoko."

"Better!" Happy again, she started fanning herself. "I'm hot! So hot!"

"Must be the drug." Ren rubbed his forehead, sensing a strong headache along with his heart going into convulsions. The way she was right then, he couldn't take her to the Daruma-ya. She would make a ruckus with the customers and her landlords would be very upset with her career choice. He didn't see any other option but take her to his place until the drug wore off. He was in for a long night.

When he looked back to her, he froze again. "M... Kyoko. What are you doing?"

"Nylons are hot!" Not thinking about the fabric or her company, she ripped the leggings off, leaving half of it in tatters on the car's floor. Then she grinned like a maniac. "Much better. Now if only I could get rid of this coat."

"Don't even try it Kyoko!" Red was forcing its way to his face, and he couldn't take his eyes away from her. He knew she tempted him without realizing it in the past, but this was getting really hard to ignore. So different from her usual self...

"I won't silly!" Merrily she closed in on him, getting so close he could easily see down her front again. Her eyes were beckoning him, keeping him from escaping her for a second. "Because it's yours Tsuruga Ren-sama. My Corn."

"Eh?" The loving way she was looking up at him, leaning against him and brushing his face with her fingers, all were sending confusing messages to him. And that last set of words really got him. Did she know? Did she... '_No... She's drugged. Must resist._'

He didn't realize she was removing his tie until it was tossed next to her shoes. His senses were reeling with her body leaning against his. Her eyes though... he could not look away. "Yes. My Corn. My Fairy Prince. But one bound to earth. Perfect but human... Ren-sama..."

Her hands wrapped around his head as her lips neared his. He didn't need guiding really, but she did it anyway. Her entire mouth pressed against his gently, and stayed there of her own accord. A small corner of his mind told him she was drugged and he should do nothing, but it was promptly ignored. Ren leaned in to the kiss, pulling her even closer to him with all the longing he'd been holding in for so long. He kept it going as long as he could, savoring every second, until they had no choice but come up for air. His eyes opened into hers, conveying all the love he had for her in one go. It seemed her eyes told the same story.

"Ren-sama..." Kyoko breathed, eyes forever in his. "I love you."

Relief and warmth filled him so quickly, he could not suppress his happiness with shock. Somehow he doubted the drug made her lie like this. They took away inhibitions, not create strong feelings. She loved him, somewhere deep in her heart she actually loved him. "Kyoko..."

Then her eyes fell from his, deeply saddened. "But I can't love you."

These words nearly tore his heart in half. "What? W-"

"I made a promise Ren-sama," she murmured, now horribly depressed. Her hands slid down his neck and to his shirt's buttons. "Not only to never love again, but also a punishment if I ever did."

"Punishment?" Hearing her words, he was too confused to stop her hands. His heart and head were latching onto every word she said, trying to make sense of everything.

"I don't want to be a foolish, lovesick woman ever again." Pain entered her eyes at a memory, one he'd only an inkling about. She did not want to be the same as when she loved Fuwa. Living only for love only led to misery for her. "I love acting and school and even the Love Me section. I don't want to lose that for loving you."

"You won't." His heart ached for her to understand. Ren loved her because of how she was as a child, and for who she became since. Her love for acting was one of the many things he loved about her. "You don't have to give up anything for me Kyoko. Who you were, who you are, who you're becoming, you're perfect to me. I-"

"If I love you," she went on as if not hearing him, opening up his shirt for some odd reason, "then I have to go home. Back to Kyoto. Give it all up."

"What?!" Fear struck his chest, fear of losing her. He grasped onto her shoulders, forcing her to look at him seriously for once. "What are you talking about?! You'll give up everything you've worked for if you love me?! Why?!"

"I'll be too consumed by love to be of any use anyway," she stated simply. "Better off working at Shoutaro's parents' hotel chain."

"No!" Gripping her shoulders tightly, Ren desperately tried to make her see reason. "You can't give up! Kyoko, please! You can't leave! Don't leave me... Please..."

He pulled her against him again, this time to keep her with him. She confessed her love to him, then the reasons why she never told him, only to say she'd be nothing but a servant for Fuwa's family if she gave in? "Kyoko, please... all I need is you to stay with me. You don’t have to give up anything, and I won't ask you to. Just... please... stop thinking so poorly of yourself. I lo-"

"You're warm." A giggle escaped the girl's throat, making it difficult to continue. For a minute, a long horrifying moment, he forgot she was drugged. All she said might have been gibberish in the end, but it felt so possible. Kyoko would easily make a foolish promise if dared by the right person. Ren's eyes narrowed as possibilities turned in his head. If this was what happened in her head, no wonder she never said a word sober. "I really like it."

"Glad you do." He sighed heavily, his heart aching yet calming down as he eased his hold a little. He had to focus. He couldn't, shouldn't, do anything to this girl, no matter how much she now seemed receptive to his feelings. "Kyoko, please listen to me. I- What are you doing?"

She slid down his chest until her face was level with his heart. He hadn't really realized his shirt was wide open until then. Her eyes were like Setsu's again, putting his heart in his throat. That coy look was always giving him ideas. "I never did leave a mark no one else could see."

Realizing what she was talking about suddenly left him speechless. Her lips rested on his skin and his mind went blank, letting her work without complaint. It was like when Setsu marked Cain all over again. He kept his body still so he didn't scare her or spoil the moment. Desire battled with reason, and Tsuruga Ren's control was weakening slowly. All he could really focus on was how good it felt for her to want him at all. "Kyoko..."

"I love you Ren-sama," she whispered when she came up for air. His heart was bursting with each statement, but she wouldn't let him speak. "But I can't love you. Stupid Shoutaro. He ruins everything."

"You don't have to keep promises to him Kyoko." Ren's voice gently brought her eyes back to his face. "He never kept his to you. I have. I-"

Without warning she kissed him again, silencing him. Even drugged, she was not going to let him confess his feelings. As he kissed her back, a few things clicked into place. All those close calls, all his attempts to tell her how he felt in the past, she was deliberately blocking them. Some part of her knew how he felt, but she would not let herself know it. Looked like he'd have to just continue showing her and be as useful as possible until she was ready to accept his feelings, while sober.

When she came up for air, he decided to get the words in. "Love you Kyo...ko..."

Ren's words dwindled as he felt her go limp in his arms. Looking at her face, he sighed. "So now you pass out. I swear you do this to torture me."

Sure enough, Kyoko was fast asleep on top of him, leaning to the side. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he let her head drop to his shoulder. She was so cute while she slept, content and at ease in the world. Smiling even. Seeing her like this in his arms was like a dream come true. A lot of that evening was. Gently he rested his lips on her head, wishing beyond anything his words reached her. "Sleep well, my princess. The fairy kingdom awaits your arrival, my love."

Ren's smile broadened in the kitchen where his Kyoko couldn't see it as he pulled out of his memories. A few minutes ago he finally got to see the kiss mark she gave him and it was much better than the first one she made a month ago. Her feelings were crystal clear to him now, along with her logic and confusion. Clearly, she didn't remember anything that happened in the car, which for her psyche was probably for the best. But he would never forget.

The amount of self-control he had was unbelievable really. He didn't even leave a mark on her like he wanted to so badly. Instead, he buttoned up his shirt with one hand, and held her until the car pulled into the covered parking of his building. He ended up carrying her to his apartment using the less used route to avoid cameras and eyes, set her on the couch for a minute to get her a shirt for later, and was planning on putting her in the guest room, only to see her fussing on the couch. He ended up hugging her in her sleep to calm her nightmare and staying on the couch with her the entire night. He woke up when she started moving next to him. Despite having the woman he loved with him the entire night, he did nothing forward to her. He prayed this never reached the press. They'd never understand that nothing happened.

Well, nothing they'd imagine at least. The wealth of information he got that night was worth all the struggles he went through for her sake. Kyoko loved him, but forbade herself from feeling anything more than appreciation to her sempai. She made some kind of bet with Fuwa to work at his family's hotel, likely forever, if she ever fell completely in love with him as motivation to keep her distance from him. There might have been something else holding her back, but she didn't mention it. Her nightmarish mumblings were too hard to decipher. And she was deliberately blocking his attempts to tell her what he felt. So much came to him in one go, he couldn’t process it all until right then.

Thinking over it as he prepared the coffee pot, a dark smirk came to his lips. Now, just what was he going to do with all this information? "This is going to be interesting."

END  



End file.
